More on Heatly to the Wild.

I dunno? I think Heatley could replace the offensive void that Gaborik will leave when he signs a free agent deal somewhere else. With Heatley asking for a trade from his second team he comes off as being a spoiled prima donna that gave up on his team mates for a second time because it wasn't going his way in Ottawa. On the other hand, I would be for any deal that ships first round bust James Sheppard out of town. I have seen nothing from him that leads me to believe that he was worthy of a first round draft choice.

As soon as Heatley’s trade demand went public, it likely weakened the Senators’ ability to get maximum return.

“This is going to be a tough deal for the Senators to make,” a league executive said yesterday. “Dany Heatley is a good player, but he’s not a great player and he’s certainly created a lot of questions about his character because this is the second time in his career he has asked for a trade.”

Sources say the Kings, Minnesota Wild, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers and Canucks are the most interested teams. The Wild, Oilers and Canucks weren’t on Heatley’s list, but he might be willing to be flexible to get out of Ottawa.

“The issue is you’re not going to get back as good a player as Heatley,” said the executive. “This deal isn’t easy to sell because the player wants out and Bryan Murray is going to have a tough time telling people that his team has improved (after a trade).”

The Kings would like to move winger Alexander Frolov and defenceman Jack Johnson, but the Senators have concerns with both players. Johnson has fired his agent and there is talk he is seeking $5.5 million per season on a long-term deal, while Frolov may not fit into the Senators’ system. The Kings might be willing to offer centre Jarret Stoll, who is scheduled to make $3.6 million next season. Stoll had 18 goals and 23 assists in 74 games last year.

Wild GM Chuck Fletcher, who just took over from the fired Doug Risebrough, has a close relationship with Murray. They have talked about Heatley. It’s believed the Wild could offer centre James Sheppard, defenceman Tyler Cuma or winger Cal Clutterbuck. Minnesota is also trying to move defenceman Marek Zidlicky, centre Eric Belanger and winger Derek Boogaard.

The executive noted not many teams have the ability to make the deal for Heatley and plenty of GMs are probably just “kicking tires” with Murray to see if they can get Heatley for nothing.

“There are so many teams that are up against it and they can’t afford to take on the $7.5 million per season on that contract,” said the executive. “The issue for the Senators is 50-goal scorers don’t come along very often and if you’ve got one, you want to keep him.” [ottawasun.com]